this morning on "early today," the oddest of political odd couples come together for the greater good. but the campaign repercussions aren't lost in the moment. and while millions deal with the effects of sandy, mitt romney continues to campaign in key battleground states. we've got brand-new poll numbers. all of that, and our own brian williams goes home to battered point pleasant beach, new jersey. >> announcer: this is "early today" for thursday, november 1st, 2012. good morning. i'm lynn berry. the very latest on sandy. at least 74 people in the u.s. have died as a result of hurricane sandy. millions remain without power, and recovery isn't coming nearly fast enough. new jersey is just one of the places there are major gasoline shortages.

people are waking up with canisters and walking up with canisters trying to get fuel. and further down the coast, take a look as cars are lined up for blocks, if not miles. some people waited more than an hour for a chance to fill up. another big oil problem, a massive leak, a fuel leak at a tank facility. more than 300,000 gallons of diesel crude spilled into the water separating new jersey from staten island. containment booms are keeping the oil where it is. in connecticut, these are such intense images. look at that as three mansions burned to the ground as wind gusts fueled the flames monday night. firefighters couldn't save the homes because of the intensity of the situation. and back to new jersey, where at least 25% of hoboken remains under water. the national guard arrived there but the mayor is begging for more assistance. >> we need more food.

we need more resources. so, anyone who's listening to this in the city of hoboken or neighboring towns who can get to us, we ask you to come and deliver your supplies. in atlantic city, president obama was met by new jersey governor chris christie. after the two leaders surveyed the damage along the jersey shore, the president vowed he wouldn't tolerate red tape. >> i've instituted a 15-minute rule, essentially, on my team -- you return everybody's phone calls in 15 minutes, whether it's the mayor's, the governor's, county officials. if they need something, we figure out a way to say yes. >> during one of his stops, governor christie found more victims in utter despair. >> i just want everybody to get help right away. >> yeah, well, we're going to try to do it. we're going to try to do it. >> they don't deserve it. >> yeah, yeah. >> look at our house, our house, everything is gone. >> yeah. >> i've never in ten years had water in my house.

in new york, after pumping water out of the subway system, we got word a short time ago that a handful of trains are running. some commuter service to connecticut will also return today on a very limited basis. and it is an amazing but eerie sight. much of the skyline of lower manhattan remains dark as the city enters the fourth day of a massive power outage. the flooding crisis from sandy goes beyond the east coast. these are pictures from cleveland, ohio, as the cuyahoga river deals with too much rain. well, back to new jersey. many residents there and there on the jersey shore say they plan to repair and rebuild after the devastation from sandy, as help slowly begins to arrive. nbc's danielle leigh is there for us in toms river, new jersey, where folks are trying to do just that. good morning to you, danielle. >> reporter: good morning, lynn. today, many of the popular sea side communities, places like seaside heights, where people love to go and vacation in the

summer, still completely cut off from most of society. officials say it is just not safe to go over there. along toms river, evidence of the devastation. you can just walk down the road and walk along bits and pieces of people's homes, even furniture that has been washed to the side of the road because of sandy. the devastation is severe. streets are unpassable, homes are just leveled, and people are hanging on to the president's promises that the recovery will be escalated, that they will help restore this community. many people on toms riverside of the mainland, they haven't even been able to go over to the jersey shore and see what's left of their homes. and just yesterday, standing where i am, they stood for hours just hoping that maybe they could see what is left of their homes. they have been without power now for four days, and recovery for them could not come quickly enough. reporting live in toms river, new jersey, i'm danielle leigh. lynn, back to you. >> sure is. all right, danielle, thanks so much. well, so many people are asking how they can help during this crisis, and one suggestion is to reach out to the red cross.

here's how you can do it. you can text the red cross to 90999. that will automatically give a $10 donation that will appear on your phone bill. you can also go to redcross.org and donate through their website. you can also donate blood in your hometown at a blood drive. check with your local red cross office. now for a look at your weather, here's nbc meteorologist bill karins with your weather channel forecast. good morning, bill. >> look at the pictures and your jaws drop. one location to the other, they look the same, the jumbled mess from sandy. this storm left its mark in the area. the big story is it's finally gone, leaving up into areas of canada. what's left is a lot of cold air in the northeast. and that's probably the biggest issue with all the people without power. now,et me take to your backyard and what we're dealing with. a big storm came onshore overnight and most of the impact was felt yesterday with the heavy rains up in washington state. we notice that front has now pushed all the way into northern

idaho and montana. the storm is still bringing here, about a bring a little chunk of rain into the greater portland area and up towards seattle. the north side just locked in with the rain. we have a moisture connection far to the south. it went all the way down and is lingering near san francisco, san jose and sacramento. so, pretty big storm by any standards in the west. i wouldn't say it was the most impactful storm, nothing like the east coast saw, but it was a pretty good one. as far as the forecast for today, we'll continue, especially early rain around san francisco and definitely in the northwest. notice temperatures aren't do bad for this time of though, you should stay dry around san diego to los angeles. i'll give you a look at your friday forecast coming up and also the election day forecast. >> an important one. bill, thank you. well, just 120 hours to go

before election day. governor romney continues on the stump, while president obama campaigns in three states today while also keeping an eye on recovering from sandy. plus, tea party favorite and former presidential candidate michele bachmann is fighting for her political life. details, next. you're watching "early today." >> announcer: brought to you by the makers of centrum men and women. have you taken the most complete multivitamin today?

well, the campaign clock is ticking, and with just about 120 hours to go until election day, the polls show the candidates are still neck and neck. nbc's tracie potts has all the details for us from washington. tracie, good morning. >> reporter: lynn, reuters ipsos, one of the latest national polls out there, gives president obama just a one percentage point lead nationally. that is a tie as the president heads back out today to speak with voters.

president obama's back on the campaign trail. polls show him up by six in iowa, two in wisconsin and two in new hampshire, but this week he's focused on new jersey. >> we are not going to tolerate red tape, we are not going to tolerate bureaucracy. >> reporter: touring storm damage with republican rival governor chris christie. >> i cannot thank the president enough for his personal concern and compassion for our state. there will be some folks who will criticize me for complimenting him. well, you know what, i speak the truth. >> reporter: analysts say the president's picking up political points. >> the message that christie is sending voters is that obama is doing a good job. he's not a scary, socialist person, that he's somebody who can be trusted. >> reporter: in florida, governor romney criticized the administration's record helping small business. >> sometimes, regulators seem to look at businesses like they're the enemy. >> reporter: he never mentioned the president by name, but governor jeb bush did, claiming mr. obama's making excuses for his failures. >> it's almost as though the dog ate my homework is the reason why we're going through tough

times. >> reporter: early voting reopened in maryland with some long lines. >> three hours. >> yeah, yeah, but it's worth it. >> reporter: in areas where flooding destroyed some polling places, they're considering putting up tents to make sure residents can vote tuesday. more polls, quinnipiac gives the president a five-point edge in ohio, but they say things are so close, it's such a small lead in virginia and florida, they're calling it a tie. lynn? >> all right, tracie potts for us in washington. tracie, thanks. so, as we mentioned, the obama/christie meeting has been an extraordinary coming together of two political polar opposites, men who have very recently delivered some extremely biting comments about the other, but now put iting citizens above politics. it is interesting because just a few hours before their meeting former florida governor and romney supporter jeb bush had this to say on the stump. >> do you honestly think that this president is capable of bringing people together?

his entire strategy is to blame others, starting with my brother, of course. basically, he blames every possible thing, rather than having the humility to be able to reach out and to find common ground. and now a house race that should have been a lay-up for minnesota's michele bachmann. the former presidential candidate and three-term congresswoman has a real fight on her hands. millionaire hotel executive jim graves is spending big time to take down the tea party favorite and the polls are tightening in the process. and here's an interesting tidbit that you can share with your friends. the total spending of the 2012 election will beat the previous record by $700 million. and are you ready for this? 2012 election spending altogether will reach a whopping $6 billion. unreal. speaking of spending big bucks, this maryland man knows exactly when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em. in fact, he's got over 8 million

reasons to prove it. our large west coast storm continues to push into oregon. i'll show you who it's going to affect next. you're watching "early today."

stories making news this morning. authorities say four people were shot at a halloween party on the campus of the university of southern california. one of them is in critical condition. police say two people are in custody. "the washington post"

reports that the obama administration has been in talks to build a new syrian opposition leadership to stop the violence from spread iing across the mide east. the plan is also intended to prevent radical islamic fighters from taking control of the opposition group. in south carolina, income tax returns were targeted in the largest cyber attack against the state tax department in american history. more than 3 million social security numbers were compromised along with more than a million businesses and personal credit and debit cards. and the new world poker champ is a 24-year-old recovering drug addict and college dropout. greg merson of maryland is the new champion. he won on the 399th hand of texas hold 'em, collecting more than 8.5 million bucks. and nice bling, a gold championship bracelet that's worth $150,000. not even a smile. and now a look at how wall street begins this thursday

after sandy forced a shortened week of trading. the dow closed at 13,096 after losing ten points yesterday. the s&p was up a fraction, but the nasdaq lost ten. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, the nikkei gained 18 points, while in hong kong, the hang seng climbed 180. markets ended october lower, but there is good news. they're all way up for 2012. the dow slid 2.5% last month, but it's up more than 7% this year. the broader s&p down 2% in october added 12.5% in the last 12 months. and the nasdaq, the biggest loser, nearly 5%, was also the biggest winner, soaring 14.5% in 2012. well, not surprisingly, in sandy's wake, home depot and lowe's were among wednesday's big movers, along with generator-maker generac. fedex says shipments for areas evacuated by sandy will be stored in one of their facilities. you can check your package status at fedex.com. elsewhere, netflix shot up

on news of carl icahn's 10% stake in the company. netflix was the best s&p performer this month, up more than 45%. ford rallied on stronger earnings reported while markets were closed. likewise, gm soared after blowing past earnings estimates. on the down side, apple shares slid and weighed down the nasdaq. and, sorry, amex, your gold card hasn't got anything on this new, pure-gold diamond and mother of pearl card from a bank in kazakhstan. the price? $100,000 big ones. just ahead, how students in louisiana are making a difference in the wake of sandy. plus, our own brian williams gets a firsthand look at the devastation in his old stomping ground on the jersey shore. you're watching "early today."

well, welcome back. we're continuing to watch the storm pulling into portions of oregon, especially portland this morning. looks like a lot of rain is heading your way. then the storm clears out in the afternoon and gets a little better. seattle, this slug of rain up interstate 5, actually, from the border of seattle southwards to the puget sound, olympia and olympics and down into areas outside of portland. as far as the forecast tomorrow, a little improvement, hit-and-miss showers, but part of that system will head up into montana. i mentioned the election-day forecast, lynn, and things are actually looking nice in the west and everywhere else, not seeing too many issues, thankfully. >> thankfully, indeed. thank you, bill.

well, hurricane sandy has left behind a trail of sadness for the lives and property lost in its wake. nbc's brian williams spent part of his childhood growing up near the beaches of the jersey shore, and yesterday, he went back to assess the damage. >> reporter: in point pleasant beach, the white sands motel has been in business for 30 years. the pool is full of sand. this is what's left of one of the motel rooms. another shore landmark is jenkinson's on the boardwalk, jenks, as the locals call it, where cindy klause rode out the storm in the local aquarium that she runs. >> and we heard this huge whoosh and within seconds the water level went from the first step up to the doorknob. >> reporter: the power is still out, but they're keeping the animals safe and alive with one generator. of course, it's supposed to be a little scary in here. you have the halloween decorations up, but -- >> that's right. >> -- this is really scary. these are the most famous penguins on the jersey shore. >> they're awesome.

>> reporter: are you doing all right? the damage is dramatic far from the beach. inland, there is street flooding. trees have been ripped from the ground. jack and sharon cathguard who have lived here for a long time spent the day washing and drying their clothes outside. >> i wanted to go and she said she wanted to stay. and i said, well, if my wife stays, i have to stay, because she's my wife. >> reporter: but there are bright spots to be seen, like the one we witnessed when we passed by bill mullins, who was having his own flag-raising ceremony on his front yard. blocks away from the atlantic ocean, bill mullins feels lucky to be able to live here. >> i always try to express it. it's hard to express. what is it about the jersey shore? >> i don't think you can quantify it unless you live here or you live on a coastal state. we're blessed to be this close to the ocean. it's a double-edged sword, of course, but i think for all the good, it's absolutely worth the bad. >> that's an interesting perspective. you don't hear many of those comments coming out of this. i mean, his house was, luckily, spared. >> yeah. >> but there are so many people

that feel so loyal to that area. you hear them saying we will rebuild, it will be better. >> and governor christie said, even people on the west coast, almost everyone at some point in their life had a connection to the jersey shore, not the show, but as far as the jersey shore. >> the area, yes. >> everyone's at least been there probably once. >> and hopefully, they go again once they have all -- >> they're going to need it. >> exactly. this comes to us from ktal nbc 6 in shreveport, louisiana, where memories from hurricane katrina are inspiring one high school to come to the aid of hurricane sandy victims. help is on the way, and that's the message sent by errol heights students and faculty. the group is on a mission to send this semi-trailer stocked withed food, blankets and other helpful items. well, i'm lynn berry. this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

well, a dangerous fire forced officials to evacuate an entire town. close to 1,000 people received orders to abandon their homes. a chemical fire erupted from this derailed train car and then began leaking dangerous fumes. the evacuation order is still in effect until that fire burns out. all right. new images show one animal's odd connection to halloween. a massachusetts fisherman caught this female lobster last week. look there. see? scientists say the crustacean, she is half orange, she's half black. the crustacean's split coloring happens every 50 to 100 million lobsters. that orange and black is the most common color combination. interesting. well, class was in session when a drunken intruder broke into the wrong spot.

a karate class. >> i just stepped back. i just kicked the door right open. he came at me. i kicked him. he flew to my shower doors -- through my shower doors. he broke that. he fell into it. he got back up. he stumbled getting back up. he came towards me again. i kicked him. he tried to get out of the bathroom, so i threw him into my living room, and from there, i just kicked him literally all the way out of my house. >> wow! do not mess with janine ramirez. her neighbors held the man until the police arrived. >> her neighbors held him? >> yeah. i think she took care of him before that. >> you mean he wasn't begging and crying to the neighbor, get her away from me. >> get janine away from me. help, help. all right. it's time for now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day on nbc. it is crunch time. the presidential campaigns are shifting into high gear. president obama will visit three states today, wisconsin, nevada and colorado. vice president biden heads to iowa, while the first lady campaigns in florida. mitt romney will spend the day in virginia while vice presidential nominee paul ryan heads west to campaign in colorado and nevada.

and believe it or not, michelangelo's paintings on the ceiling of the sistine chapel were first displayed to the public 500 years ago today in 1512. all day long you can stay on top of the very latest developments in those stories and others as they break on msnbc. and tonight be sure to watch brian williams with "nbc nightly news." and, finally, here's a look at what's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. savannah gets an inside look at how engineers are draining all that water from new york city's flooded tunnels and subways. and with just one day to go until their big show on the plaza, a look back at four decades of aerosmith. and now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports, and more. i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day, today on your nbc station. have a good one. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com